Think that Star Trek is the hit of the year? That's only because you're looking at the US grosses. Outside of America, James T. Kirk's ass is being kicked by Christian Bale... and quite a few other people, as well.
Variety reports that Terminator: Salvation is doing well outside of its home country, taking the international box office top spot - and $43.4 million - last weekend for an international total of $164.4 million:
"Terminator" scored $10.7 million in Japan, the biggest opening haul in that country since "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" last year. And it opened to $9 million in China, one of the top openings of all time for a non-Chinese film.
That may not seem like much when compared with Night At The Museum 2's international total of $175.9 million or Angels and Demons' $319 million, but compared with Trek's international take of $118.7 million (across a month more time in theaters), it's significant. So what can this be down to? Star Trek has traditionally fared poorly outside of the US, and that undoubtedly feeds into its international performance (It's made almost twice that in the US), but there's no denying it: Terminator Salvation is on its way to becoming a bona fide hit internationally, despite the drubbing and poor performance in the US. Maybe we should try selling The Sarah Connor Chronicles to overseas producers.
'Terminator' scores big in Asia [Variety]